New Delhi:

Former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar on Friday urged the Delhi High Court to disregard seven of her 12 acknowledged attempts to pass the uber-competitive Civil Services entrance exam.

Specifically, Ms Khedkar doubled down on physical disability claims – she has a Maharashtra hospital certificate diagnosing her with an “old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability” – and asked, therefore, that only attempts in the ‘divyang‘ category be counted.

She has claimed a 47 per cent disability as against the government’s 40 per cent benchmark.

The term ‘divyang‘ is the government’s term for persons with disabilities, although many have rejected the label, arguing it sets them apart from society and demanding, instead, focus on ensuring equal treatment and rights, as well as accessibility to public spaces and services.

In an affidavit filed with the court this morning she asked that her seven attempts as a general category student be disregarded. Should this be accepted, it will reduce the number of confirmed attempts to five (each of which she passed). This is four less than the upper limits for persons with disabilities, and one less than that allowed for general category candidates.

Puja Khedkar made headlines after claims she lied about physical and mental disabilities, and changed her name and surname, as well as forging an OBC certificate, to clear the exam.

READ | “Someone Doubted…”: Doctor On Trainee Officer’s Disability Claim

Ms Khedkar’s violations were exposed in June after it emerged she had secured perks beyond her pay grade, such as a siren and a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ sticker for her private vehicle.

The Delhi High Court is hearing an anticipatory bail plea by Ms Khedkar, who faces criminal charges, including forgery and cheating. On August 1 a city court had rejected her plea.

READ | Former Trainee IAS Puja Khedkar’s Anticipatory Bail Plea Rejected

The lower court dismissed Ms Khedkar’s claims about “imminent threat of arrest”.

Days later she moved the High Court and the police, also asked to submit a fresh response to her plea – were told not to arrest her till a final verdict. That protection is in place till Thursday.

The police have sought dismissal of her plea on grounds that any relief will hinder its investigation into a “deep-rooted conspiracy”. The cops also argued that giving Ms Khedkar bail could damage public perception of the integrity of the civil services examination and the UPSC.

The UPSC, in turn, has told the Delhi High Court Ms Khedkar committed a “fraud”.

Meanwhile, Ms Khedkar has also rejected a claim by the UPSC – which is the government body that conducts the exam – that she changed her name and surname for one of the 12 attempts, in an attempt to circumvent rules limiting chances per candidate, depending on certain factors.

READ | “Changed Her Name…”: UPSC On How Puja Khedkar Cheated

She claimed only her middle name had been altered and argued “therefore, there is no truth in the allegation that there has been a major change in my name”. “UPSC verified my identity through biometric data… did not find my documents (to be) fake or incorrect…” she argued.

READ | Puja Khedkar Claims UPSC Doesn’t Have Power To Disqualify Her

She has also claimed the UPSC, which has revoked her selection – lacks the authority to do so since she had already been selected and appointed as a probationary officer. Only the union government, specifically the Department of Personnel and Training, can take action, she said.

Last month the UPSC said Ms Khedkar had changed her name, and that of her parents, to secure another crack at the exam. The central body said she had been served a notice for “fraudulently availing attempts, beyond permissible limit… by faking her identity”.

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Mumbai:

In yet another addition to the series of revelations in the row surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, questions are now being raised on a disability certificate issued to her by a Pune hospital.  This is among the several disability certificates that have emerged over the last couple of weeks after her selection into civil service came under the scanner.

She had submitted two certificates issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital in 2018 and 2021 to the UPSC. She had also applied for a disability certificate from Aundh government hospital in Pune in 2022, but the application was rejected after medical tests.

The disability certificate issued by Pune’s Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital is dated August 24, 2022. It mentions Ms Khedkar’s address as “Plot No 53, Dehu Alandi Road, Talawade, Pimpri Chinchwad” in Pune district. But at this location, there is no house, but a factory named Thermoverta Engineering Company. Interestingly, Ms Khedkar’s Audi car, which has been seized after she illegally used a red-blue beacon on it, is registered in the name of this company.

Also, while the government has mandated Aadhaar for getting disability certificates, Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions that the document she produced was a ration card.

The certificate states that she is “a case of Locomotor Disability” and that the “diagnosis in her case is Old ACL tear with left knee instability”. This means an injury in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament — one of the ligaments that helps stabilise the knee joint.

Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions extent of disability as 7 per cent.

The Big Question

The disability certificate raises questions on how Ms Khedkar managed to get relaxations during her civil service selection. The 32-year-old had sought relaxation under “person with benchmark disability” category. But UPSC rules identify a “person with benchmark disability” as one with “not less than forty per cent” disability. Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions the extent of her disability as 7 per cent, much lower than the UPSC threshold.

Earlier, she had skipped multiple appointments in Delhi for medical check-up to verify her disability certificate and then submitted a report from a private facility.

The office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Pune, has now asked police to check the authenticity of the certificates submitted by Ms Khedkar. The Centre, too, has started an investigation to verify her candidature.

How It All Began

Puja Khedkar’s troubles started last month when Pune collector Dr Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, flagging many demands by the 2023-batch trainee IAS officer.

Ms Khedkar, he said, had been demanding a separate cabin, a car, residential quarters and a peon before she joined work at the collectorate.

The collector pointed out in the letter that she is on a two-year probation and is not entitled to these benefits. Ms Khedkar was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the collector’s office when he was on leave. Amid the row, she was transferred to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector.

The allegations of unreasonable demands proved to be a can of worms as her selection for civil service came under the scanner.

Yesterday, authorities at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration put Ms Khedkar’s training on hold and recalled her for “necessary action”.

The Fightback

Ms Khedkar has alleged a media trial against her and said the “truth will come out” after she presents her case before the probe commitee set up by the Centre.

“I will testify before the committee. I think whatever decision the committee will take should be acceptable to all,” she told the media recently. The Constitution, she said, is based on the fact that you are innocent until proven guilty. “So proving me guilty by media trial is wrong on everybody’s part,” the trainee IAS officer said.

She has also filed a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase, who had written to the Chief Secretary flagging her alleged demands for perks. This complaint has been forwarded to Pune Police, but an FIR is yet to be registered.